Multi Caliber Goes Big Bore Handguns in New Desert Eagle Package

Firearms with quick-swap caliber conversions are a simultaneous love and illicit affair within the market. Customers love multi-caliber systems, finding them a great selling point, but few pick up the caliber conversion kits or speaking from experience, those that do pick up a second firearm. However, the more expensive the firearm gets, the more likely the kits will be reasonably successful (assuming the kits are reasonably priced).

Released quietly on their website, Magnum Research, a division of Kahr Firearms Group, has debuted a true multi-caliber kit for their Desert Eagle big-bore handguns. The Desert Eagle Mark XIX (19 for those curious) 6-inch Component System is a black Desert Eagle handgun complete with components to shoot the handgun in their three most popular calibers, .50 AE, .44 Magnum, and .357 Magnum.

The kit is a premium offering, including the base frame, barrel, magazine and bolt (only the .357 requires a different bolt) for all the calibers. Also included is a padded lockable aluminium case to keep the kit together in storage or at the range, all in matching black finish.

One of TFB’s resident Jarheads, Nathan now works within the firearms industry. A consecutive Marine rifle and pistol expert, he enjoys local 3-gun, NFA, gunsmithing, MSR’s, & high-speed gear. Nathan has traveled to over 30 countries working with US DoD & foreign MoDs.

The above post is my opinion and does not reflect the views of any company or organization.

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Nick

For that price, I can buy a 50AE Desert Eagle and then pick up other pistols in each of the other calibers.

It’s great their proud of their product, but 3k for a pistol kit is an it exorbitant.

Sunshine_Shooter

But those other pistols wouldn’t be DEagles, which is the whole point.

Dickie

I wantz now

Cymond

A quick search of GunBroker indicates that NIB Desert Eagles start at around $1500. I can’t imagine getting $1500 extra benefit from the caliber conversions, but I’m sure somebody will.

Sunshine_Shooter

Since buying 3 DEagles off GunBroker would cost $4500, so you’d basically be buying 3 of them for the price of two. A buy-two-get-one-free deal.

Cymond

I can’t think of a use for 3 Desert Eagles. It seems like a gun that most people own for the sake of owning, and shoot very little. Even if you do want to shoot it a lot, it seems like it would make more sense to spend the $1500 on your preferred caliber rather than buying a conversion kit for cheaper ammo.

TVOrZ6dw

This just got moved to the top of my ‘want’ list.

Dr. Longfellow Buchenrad

Youre paying $1500 for 2 barrels, a bolt, and 2 magazines. Hardly a value purchase. Hopefully street price will be a bit lower.

Caliber conversion kits in the end just dont make sense. For an extra $150 instead of getting a P320 change kit, you can get the whole darn thing. It looks like its just one of those things that is too expensive to manufacture and assemble to be competitive with the complete gun. Though it does make sense in legal situations where receivers are hard to acquire/transfer.

Its hard for me to see the point of the Desert Eagle anyway. Its nowhere near reliable or ergonomic enough to actually use for defense or competition, and its a pretty darn expensive toy, but evidently enough people like them that they can stay in business.

Major Tom

It’s frequent appearances in video games like Call of Duty over the years have also spurred a number of sales too.

Dr. Longfellow Buchenrad

Ok point granted. Id be a liar if playing Red Dead Redemption didnt make me want to go out and buy a few guns of questionable effectiveness (relative to modern firearms). Lucky for me being broke keeps me from following through with those inclinations.

Nicks87

It’s still cheaper than buying three DEs. Why you would want three desert eagle’s, I’m not really sure.

Dr. Longfellow Buchenrad

So you can triple wield them. If you have to ask how that works, you obviously dont operate.

M.

“Why you would want three desert eagle’s, I’m not really sure”

I…don’t understand

Wow!

Desert eagles are plenty reliable, and have every application where a big bore revolver would be used. That said, it is a lot of gun, and most shooters are only able to shoot a 9mm proficiently so the market is niche just from that alone.

Havok

Buying all of those components separately is about $300 under their msrp….

Edeco

The uppers and mags should be color-coded. Hard nickel one set, black chrome one, and yellow TiN one 😀

DanGoodShot

Soooo I just checked out the prices on their website for the individual parts… lets just say unless your really interested in that flashy, tacticool aluminum case, It’s just not worth it. You can buy the individual parts for the calibers you actually want and spend less and you’ll get more magazines(depending on what barrel combo you pick). The barrels pictured with the kit go for 4 and change. I was under the impression when you buy a whole kit like this it usually offers a significant cost savings… not in this “case”.

Tim Pearce

They’ve offered this before. For a while, they even offered a kit that had both the 6″ and 10″ barrels in all three calibers.

Martin Grønsdal

is this low speed, high drag?

Anonymoose

HIGH speed high drag. Do you have any idea how fast a .44mag is going out of a 10″ barrel?

Anonymoose

I almost bought one of these with all three calibers in both barrel lengths back in the day, but then I decided to get a used car instead.

jerry young

I want one but I guess I’m not in the middle market shooter club, $3 grand is one heck of a lot for one handgun no matter whether it comes with 1 barrel or 3, I usually get to buy one new gun per year depending on the cost and they usually aren’t close to $1000 each, I guess I’ll just buy one of each caliber in a different brand but is anyone else making the .357 in semi-auto anymore?

pretty much only deagles are made in 357 mag. In fact a lot of people don’t think 357 mag semi autos exist. Nor do they think deagles come in any caliber but 50. You have people also thinking that glocks come in 50 caliber too.

Well you can find conversion kits but out of the factory nope.

jerry young

I’ve shot the .357 in semi auto long ago, we even had a guy bring one to one of our classes last year, there were some big problems with them feeding right, I am a big fan of the .357 it’s actually the first caliber revolver I ever bought more than 40 years ago and I took my CCW with one even though I since have switched to a 9mm for EDC, I would like to get my hands on a semi auto .357 mainly for my collection but I enjoy shooting them too!

Zaro27

I’ve always wanted a 9mm conversion for the DE. It’d be fun and unexpected. Probably wouldn’t kick at all, either.